Chapter 128: Wu Zhi

Wu Qing rested her smooth, delicate chin in her hand, watching Wu Ming eat heartily, her eyes slightly narrowing with a gentle smile.

In her heart, she mused, “There’s no rush for this! I’ll wait a little longer, until I find a way to break free. Then I’ll surprise him!”

Her doubts now gone, her expression softened further, revealing tenderness and affection. “Brother… these past days have been hard on you.”

“Huh? What’s so hard about it?”

Wu Ming had a vague suspicion but still feigned confusion.

“That’s true…” Wu Qing chuckled. “You rest today, and tomorrow you’ll come with me to meet a good friend of mine—the young lady from the Wu family I mentioned before.”

“Meet her? For what?”

Feeling Wu Qing had completely relaxed and was now unguarded, Wu Ming asked casually.

“She has an important matter and needs my help…”

Wu Qing withheld nothing, instantly revealing all the details about her close friend. “It’s just family infighting and a struggle for power—she needs some assistance. Originally, I alone would have been enough, but now that you’ve reached the rank of a Taoist priest, you could be a useful ally too!”

Previously, she would never have involved Wu Ming in such matters.

But now, suspecting that Wu Ming might be a reincarnator, everything had changed.

“In the cycle of reincarnation, one must face life and death. Rather than being helpless when the time comes, it’s better to train my brother alongside me now.”

“If my elder sister has given her command, how could I refuse?” Wu Ming replied with a smile, thinking of the sword-bearing maid named Jian Qiu he had met on the bridge in the city last time.

…

The carriage rolled slowly forward.

Inside were only Wu Qing and Wu Ming.

According to Wu Qing, the matter was highly secretive, so even Wu Ming’s usual assistant, Wu Tiehu, couldn’t accompany them. Wu Ming had to take on the role of coachman himself.

But such a small matter posed no difficulty for him.

While skillfully guiding the horses, he even allowed his mind to wander:

“My internal fortune can be further divided: one part is white and red, stemming from my Taoist cultivation rank, while the other is black and white, derived from my martial cultivation. Thus, by my own classification, I am at the second level of Taoism and the first level of martial arts—making me a second-level peak when taking the higher of the two.”

“However, I have many hidden techniques, especially the Thunder Dao, so my actual combat power might barely reach the third level.”

Fortune is an external manifestation of strength, and internal fortune is especially genuine and unfeigned.

Take martial cultivation, for instance. Although it has nine physical stages, even the most accomplished martial artists at the peak of transformation are still only at the second level.

Even grandmasters who have formed fist intent are merely at the peak of the second level, equivalent to a Taoist at the third stage of the Immortal Realm.

Is this fair? Of course not!

A martial artist might spend a lifetime strengthening their body and blood, yet still fall short of a young Taoist who has cultivated for only a few years. Where is the fairness in that?

But the Great Zhou world is not a game. It’s natural for people to have different starting points.

Despite the many levels of cultivation, when it comes to fortune—a direct reflection of true power—everything is laid bare, with no room for pretense.

Pure black signifies standard first level, pure white standard second level, and so on. Anything less than pure cannot be considered a true rank.

“Just like Wu Qing… I wonder where she went during that reincarnation mission, but she has advanced so rapidly…”

Wu Ming’s thoughts drifted again to Wu Qing, sitting behind him.

Her talent was simply astounding. Combined with the gains from a single reincarnation mission, her internal fortune was now a towering red aura, with only a trace of white remaining.

Once that last bit of white faded completely and transformed into pure red, she would achieve the full Immortal status—the third level!

Of course, until then, she was still at the peak of the second level, and her combat power might already rival Wu Ming’s.

“Still… judging from her heavenly fortune, earthly energy, and the reduction of her merit, it seems she also encountered danger in that reincarnation world and had to burn her fortune to save her life. Fortunately, it was only external fortune—once lost, it can be regained.”

Life force, internal fortune, and external fortune form three layers from the inside out, a perfect representation of cosmic truth in Wu Ming’s eyes.

Life force determines one’s ultimate potential. Internal fortune reflects current attainment, the external manifestation of one’s cultivation. External fortune, on the other hand, is the most unstable, derived from outside forces. Yet when the time is right and one knows how to seize the opportunity, even external fortune can lead to great achievements.

“Indeed, only what is truly one’s own is valuable. The saying ‘deep roots hidden within’ probably refers to the process of a cultivator transforming external fortune into internal fortune through cultivation.”

The arranged meeting place was a cliffside.

The rain had just stopped, and a white mist lingered on the mountain path.

Atop the cliff stood a small stone pavilion. From there, one could overlook the vast fields outside Chufeng County and even glimpse the faint outlines of the city and its people.

“The young lady from the Wu family chose this place for discussion—she must be a woman of great vision, not to be underestimated.”

Wu Ming glanced at Wu Qing, who was sitting quietly beside him, and couldn’t help but sweat slightly.

“Of course… anyone who can befriend Wu Qing is no ordinary person.”

The thin mist, the morning sun, the stone pavilion, the mountains and water, and the graceful beauty formed a timeless scene, stirring something deep within him.

“What are you looking at?”

Even this subtle glance did not escape Wu Qing’s perception. She, who had been sitting with her eyes closed, gave him a disapproving look.

“Nothing…” Wu Ming’s face flushed slightly, coughed twice, and suddenly narrowed his eyes. “Huh? They’re here?”

Squeaking!

A pink paper crane flew out of the fog, followed by a slender figure appearing faintly in the distance.

“Sister, you’re in a good mood today, bringing along a young lover. Could it be a romantic outing?”

Her voice arrived before she did—a voice full of magnetic charm, not the usual softness of a woman, but one brimming with vigor and heroism.

“A remarkable woman indeed!”

Even before seeing her, Wu Ming already had a vivid impression from her voice.

Moments later, he saw a woman dressed in men’s clothing, styled like a scholar in a green robe, stepping out of the fog. His eyes widened slightly.

The morning sunlight poured down gently, casting a thin golden glow over her, making her already fair and delicate skin even more dazzling.

Though her beauty did not match Wu Qing’s celestial charm, the vibrant energy and confidence on her face compensated for everything. She possessed a healthy, energetic charm, completely different from Wu Qing’s elegance—two distinct types of beauty, each with its own charm.

Her high nose, more prominent than that of an ordinary woman, reflected her confidence and unyielding nature. Most striking were her eyes, filled with a lively, spirited beauty, like an elf, exuding an ethereal grace. In an instant, that grace transformed into an imposing majesty, like an emperor surveying the world.

These two contrasting qualities strangely coexisted within her, forming a compelling aura that naturally drew people in.

However, what shocked Wu Ming the most was her fortune.

Through Wu Ming’s celestial vision, this woman possessed a proud purple life force, with golden-green energy forming clouds around it. Together with her life force, it transformed into a phoenix-shaped shadow, spreading its wings and letting out a cry.

“This Phoenix Fate is even stronger than Wu Qing’s by several degrees. It’s the pattern of an empress ruling the heavens. Could she be the future empress?”

Wu Ming was deeply shaken.

The phoenix is an auspicious omen, symbolizing harmony and good fortune. In ancient Chinese physiognomy, it represents the ultimate feminine virtue, extremely noble and auspicious.

The Classic of Mountains and Seas records: “On Qishan Mountain there lives a bird with the foreparts of a qilin, the hind legs of a deer, the head of a snake, the tail of a fish, the markings of a dragon, the back of a turtle, the chin of a swallow, and the beak of a fowl. It is adorned in five colors and is strikingly beautiful—this is the Fenghuang (phoenix).”

From the Qin and Han dynasties onward, the dragon gradually became the symbol of emperors, and empresses and concubines began to be compared to phoenixes, thus feminizing the image of the phoenix.

The “Xiaoxue Gangzhu” Volume Ten also records: “There are five forms of the phoenix. The red one is the true phoenix; the yellow one is the Yuanchu; the blue one is the Luan; the purple one is the Yue Zhu; and the white one is the Honghu.”

Regardless of the interpretation, among all the women Wu Ming had seen, this one possessed the most extraordinary aura.

“Still… I should analyze it more carefully…”

Wu Ming’s mind raced as he activated his celestial vision to its fullest, observing the phoenix-like fortune manifesting in three layers.

“Hmm! Her life force is purple—her future is limitless, even becoming empress wouldn’t be beyond her reach.”

“Her external fortune is golden-green! The golden hue signifies ruling power, indicating that she holds real authority within her family and even in Nantian Prefecture. The green represents heavenly fortune—she is destined for wealth and honor, even if she started from nothing.”

“And then there’s her internal fortune, representing her actual strength…”

Wu Ming’s expression shifted again. He saw three distinct streams within her internal fortune. One radiated the fierce and courageous aura of martial cultivation, unmistakably crimson red!

Another carried the solemn authority of Legalist philosophy, pure white in color. The last stream was wrapped in military qi, also white.

“Wow! A Grandmaster of martial cultivation! She’s also cultivated the arts of the Legalists and the Strategists? That makes her a third-level martial artist, a second-level Legalist, and a second-level Strategist!”

Wu Ming’s expression turned serious. He realized that the woman standing before him was a master rivaling a third-level Taoist, an Immortal-level expert.

“A true genius! Finally, I’ve encountered a woman even more extraordinary than Wu Qing. Never would I have imagined that she could reach the level of a martial Grandmaster… Her willpower and perseverance must be incredibly strong.”

Martial cultivation has nine physical stages, with the highest still only at the second level.

After reaching the peak transformation stage, one becomes a Master, at the white-red level, second-level peak.

After a Master comes a Grandmaster, at the crimson-red level, the third level—equivalent to a Taoist Immortal!

This woman had clearly concealed her strength well, her vital energy deeply refined into her marrow. Even Wu Qing might not have detected it.

“You’re teasing me again… This is my younger brother, Wu Ming!”

Wu Qing nudged Wu Ming gently. “And this is my dear friend… her given name…”

Although this world lacked strict etiquette rules, revealing a woman’s private name to a stranger upon first meeting was still inappropriate.

“My name is Wu Zhi! I’ve already met your younger brother once before; he’s no stranger!” Wu Zhi laughed heartily, but seeing Wu Ming still seemed dazed, a hint of displeasure flickered across her face.